The Doctrine of Justification by Faith

Answ. The plain truth is, the Apostle speaks not one word of the Necessity of our Sanctification, or Regeneration, or Renovation by the Holy Ghost, antecedently unto our Justification, a supposition whereof contains the whole force of this ⟨p. 184⟩Argument. Indeed he assigns our Regeneration, Renovation, and Justification all the means of our Salvation, all equally unto Grace and Mercy, in opposition unto any works of our own, which we shall afterwards make use of. Nor is there intimated by him, any order of precedency, or connection between the things that he mentions, but only between Justification and Adoption, Justification having the priority in order of nature; that being justified by his Grace, we should be Heirs according to the hope of Eternal life. All the things he mentions are inseparable. No man is Regenerate or renewed by the Holy Ghost, but withal he is justified. No man is justified, but withal he is renewed by the Holy Ghost. And they are all of them equally of Sovereign Grace in God in opposition unto any works of Righteousness that we have wrought. And we plead for the freedom of Gods Grace in Sanctification, no less then in Justification. But that it is necessary that we should be Sanctified that we may be justified before God, who justifieth the ungodly; the Apostle says not in this place, nor any thing to that purpose; neither yet if he did so, would it at all prove, that the signification of that expression to be justified, is to be sanctified, or to have inherent Holiness and Righteousness wrought in us. And these Testimonies would not have been produced to prove it, wherein these things are so expressly distinguished, but that there are none to be found of more force or evidence.

Answ. The plain truth is, the Apostle speaks not one word of the Necessity of our Sanctification, or Regeneration, or Renovation by the Holy Ghost, antecedently unto our Justification, a supposition whereof contains the whole force of this ⟨p. 184⟩Argument. Indeed he assigns our Regeneration, Renovation, and Justification all the means of our Salvation, all equally unto Grace and Mercy, in opposition unto any works of our own, which we shall afterwards make use of. Nor is there intimated by him, any order of precedency, or connexion between the things that he mentions, but only between Justification and Adoption, Justification having the priority in order of nature; that being justified by his Grace, we should be Heirs according to the hope of Eternal life. All the things he mentions are inseparable. No man is Regenerate or renewed by the Holy Ghost, but withal he is justified. No man is justified, but withal he is renewed by the Holy Ghost. And they are all of them equally of Soveraign Grace in God in opposition unto any works of Righteousness that we have wrought. And we plead for the freedom of Gods Grace in Sanctification, no less then in Justification. But that it is necessary that we should be Sanctified that we may be justified before God, who justifieth the ungodly; the Apostle says not in this place, nor any thing to that purpose; neither yet if he did so, would it at all prove, that the signification of that expression to be justified, is to be sanctified, or to have inherent Holiness and Righteousness wrought in us. And these Testimonies would not have been produced to prove it, wherein these things are so expresly distinguished, but that there are none to be found of more force or evidence.